Alex Marquardt has moved to Al Jazeera English in Washington after his departure from CNN. Marquardt announced his excitement about joining Al Jazeera on social media, reflecting on their extensive global coverage.
Marquardt played a significant role in a highly publicized defamation case in 2025. U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young sued him and CNN over a 2021 report that portrayed Young negatively during the withdrawal from Afghanistan. The report implied Young exploited Afghans in desperate situations, labeling him a questionable profiteer operating on a ‘black market.’
A Florida jury sided with Young, awarding him $5 million in damages. They indicated the potential for $50 million to $100 million in punitive damages. However, CNN and Young reached an undisclosed settlement.
Marquardt left CNN about five months after the trial’s conclusion. His colleagues suggested this was linked to the costly defamation case, although CNN made no formal comment on personnel changes. Marquardt will now host a daytime show called ‘This is America’ for Al Jazeera English, the English counterpart founded by Al Jazeera in 2006 and funded by the Qatari government.
In a post-trial interview, Young expressed that he had not forgiven Marquardt, although he showed no resentment towards Marquardt’s new position. Young commented that Al Jazeera could be the right match for Marquardt’s journalistic approach.
Several former CNN colleagues congratulated Marquardt on his new role. During the trial, Marquardt defended his report, denying it was an intentional attack on Young. He remained proud of his work despite CNN issuing an on-air apology, which some staff, including Marquardt, felt was unnecessary. CNN’s senior vice president admitted the apology was a strategic legal decision.